race can I see!"

"Now, look here," St. Piran said; "the church was there, right
enough."

"That's a true word," spoke up an old man, "for I mind it well. An
elegant tower it had, an' a shingle roof."

"Spake up, now," said the saint, glaring around; "fwich av ye's gone
an' misbestowed me parush church? For I won't believe," he said, "that
it's any worse than carelussness--at laste, not yet-a-bit."

Some remembered the church, and some did not: but the faces of all
were clear of guilt. They trooped out on the sands to search.

Now, the sands by Perranzabuloe are for ever shifting and driving
before the northerly and nor'-westerly gales; and in time had heaped
themselves up and covered the building out of sight. To guess this
took the saint less time than you can wink your eye in; but the bother
was that no one remembered exactly where the church, had stood, and as
there were two score at least of tall mounds along the shore, and all
of pretty equal height, there was no knowing where to dig. To uncover
them all was a job to last till doomsday.

"Blur-an'-agurs, but it's ruined I am!" cried St. Piran. "An' the
Visitashun no further away than to-morra at tin a.m.!" He wrung his
hands, then caught up a spade, and began digging like a madman.

They searched all day, and with lanterns all the night through: they
searched from Ligger Point to Porth Towan: but came on never a sign of
the missing church.

"If it only had a spire," one said, "there'd be some chance." But as
far as could be recollected, the building had a dumpy tower.

"Once caught, twice shy," said another; "let us find it this once, an'
next time we'll have landmarks to dig it out by."

It was at sunrise that St. Piran, worn-out and heart-sick, let fall
his spade and spoke from one of the tall mounds, where he had been
digging for an hour.

"My children," he began, and the men uncovered their heads, "my
children, we are going to be disgraced this day, and the best we can
do is to pray that we may take it like men. Let us pray."

He knelt down on the great sand-hill, and the men and women around
dropped on their knees also. And then St. Piran put up the prayer that
has made his name famous all the world over.

_THE PRAYER OF ST. PIRAN.

Harr us, O Lord, and be debonair: for ours is a particular case. We
are not like the men of St. Neot or the men of St. Udy, who are for
ever importuning Thee upon the least occasion, praying at all hours
and ever